The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to re-enforce a strict plastic ban in the city starting August 21. To ensure compliance, joint raids will be conducted by BMC officers, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) officers, and police constables on hawkers, stores, and malls.
A list of 24 police officers has been provided by the MPCB to join the raids. Each ward will have a team of five working against plastic usage. This will total a team of 120 people.
The Maharashtra government has banned the production, sale, use, and storage of plastic since March 2018. Since then, BMC has been taking action against people violating the ban. However, the pandemic halted their efforts, and they resumed work in July 2022. In the past year, the BMC conducted 1,586 raids, seized 5285 kg of plastic, and fined INR 79 lakh.
The ban covers all plastic bags, pouches, bowls, and bottles under 200 ml. It also includes single-use thermocol plates and glasses, except for specified milk pouches. Penalties for non-compliance include INR 5000 for the first offence. For a second offence, the penalty will be INR 10,000. It will be INR 25,000 plus three months in jail for the third offence.
It should be noted that certain kinds of plastic are still allowed. Plastic with 20 per cent recyclable material and a thickness over 50 microns for wrapping is allowed.
Share
Tweet
